Floor cleaning machine and method for operating a floor cleaning machine

Abstract

A floor cleaning machine having a machine housing, cleaning-liquid and dirty-liquid tanks received in the machine housing, a chassis with front and rear wheels spaced apart along a longitudinal axis and facilitating movement of the machine housing over a floor surface, a cleaning device configured to clean the floor surface, a cleaning liquid applicator that dispenses a cleaning liquid from the cleaning-liquid tank to a region of the cleaning device, and a dirty-liquid intake that is in fluid communication with the dirty-liquid tank and configured to intake liquid on the floor surface and discharge the liquid to the dirty-liquid tank. The dirty-liquid intake being disposed on the machine housing behind the rear wheel and being movable relative to the machine housing between a retracted position and an extended position. The dirty liquid intake is closer to the rear wheel when disposed in the retracted position.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A floor cleaning machine ( 1 ), having a machine housing ( 3 ) which extends along a longitudinal axis ( 21 ) between a front end ( 23 ) and a rear end ( 25 ),
 having a cleaning-liquid tank ( 7 ) which is received in the machine housing ( 3 ),   having a dirty-liquid tank ( 5 ) which is received in the machine housing ( 3 ),   having a chassis ( 9 ) which has wheels ( 11 ,  13 ), bears the machine housing ( 3 ) and is designed such that the floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) can be moved over a floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned,   wherein the chassis ( 9 ) comprises at least one front wheel ( 13 ) and at least one rear wheel ( 11 ), which are spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal axis ( 21 ),   wherein the chassis ( 9 ) has a steerable design, with the result that a direction of travel ( 73 ), along which the floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) moves over the floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned, is variable,   having a cleaning device ( 27 ) with cleaning elements ( 29 ) which are designed to engage with the floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned when the floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) is moved over the floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned,   having a device ( 31 ) for applying cleaning liquid from the cleaning-liquid tank ( 7 ) to the floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned, said device being designed such that the cleaning liquid is applied in such a way that the cleaning liquid enters the region of the cleaning device ( 27 ), and   having a dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ), which extends perpendicularly in relation to the longitudinal axis ( 21 ) and parallel to the floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned,   wherein the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) is designed to take in liquid located on the floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned, with the result that said liquid can be delivered to the dirty-liquid tank ( 5 ),   wherein the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ), as seen along the longitudinal axis ( 21 ), is arranged on the machine housing ( 3 ) on that side of the rear wheel ( 11 ) that faces away from the front wheel ( 13 ) and   wherein the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) is mounted on the machine housing ( 3 ) so as to be displaceable between a retracted position and an extended position and   wherein the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ), as seen along the longitudinal axis ( 21 ), is closer to the at least one rear wheel ( 11 ) in the retracted position than in the extended position.   
     
     
         2 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein a drive device ( 17 ) designed to drive at least one wheel ( 11 ,  13 ) of the chassis ( 9 ) is provided. 
     
     
         3 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein a drive, preferably a linear drive ( 59 ), designed to move the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) between the retracted position and the extended position is provided. 
     
     
         4 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according to  claim 3 , wherein a sensor arrangement ( 35 ) designed to detect a distance, perpendicularly in relation to the longitudinal axis ( 21 ), between the machine housing ( 3 ) and an object arranged to the side of the floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) as seen along the longitudinal axis ( 21 ) is provided. 
     
     
         5 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according to  claim 4 , wherein a control unit ( 39 ) signal-connected to the sensor arrangement ( 35 ) and connected to the drive ( 59 ) is provided,
 wherein the control unit ( 39 ) is configured to control the drive ( 59 ) such that the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) is moved into the retracted position when a distance detected by the sensor arrangement ( 35 ) exceeds a predefined threshold value.   
     
     
         6 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according to  claim 5 , wherein the control unit ( 39 ) is configured to determine a route and control the floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) such that it follows the route. 
     
     
         7 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) can be displaced parallel to the longitudinal axis ( 21 ) relative to the machine housing ( 3 ). 
     
     
         8 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) is mounted on the machine housing so as to be able to pivot about a vertical axis that runs relative to the machine housing such that, during operation, it extends perpendicularly in relation to the floor surface that is to be cleaned. 
     
     
         9 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) can be displaced between a lowered and a raised position,
 wherein the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) is closer to a floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned in the lowered position than in the raised position and   wherein, in the lowered position, the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) preferably lies against the floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned.   
     
     
         10 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device ( 27 ) has a first width measured perpendicularly in relation to the longitudinal axis ( 21 ) and
 wherein the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) has a second width measured perpendicularly in relation to the longitudinal axis ( 21 ) and   wherein the second width is greater than or equal to the first width.   
     
     
         11 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according  claim 1 , wherein the dirty-liquid intake device ( 41 ) has a main body ( 43 ), from which extend a front and a rear suction lip ( 45 ,  47 ), which extend transversely in relation to the longitudinal axis ( 21 ) and are spaced apart from one another in the direction of the longitudinal axis ( 21 ) such that a suction-extraction volume ( 49 ) is formed between the suction lips ( 45 ,  47 ) and the main body ( 43 ),
 wherein the suction lips ( 45 ,  47 ) are designed to come into abutment, by way of a bottom edge, with the floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned and   wherein a connecting line which extends between the main body ( 43 ) and the dirty-liquid tank ( 5 ), such that the suction-extraction volume ( 49 ) and the dirty-liquid tank ( 5 ) are fluidically connected to one another, is provided.   
     
     
         12 . The floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) according to  claim 1 , wherein an operator control unit ( 19 ), which has operator control elements able to be actuated by a user, is mounted on the machine housing ( 3 ),
 wherein the operator control unit ( 19 ), as seen along the longitudinal axis ( 21 ), can be displaced between a retracted position and an extended position,   wherein the operator control unit ( 19 ), as seen along the longitudinal axis ( 21 ), is closer to the front end ( 23 ) in the retracted position than in the extended position.   
     
     
         13 . A method for operating a floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) over a floor surface ( 15 ) that is to be cleaned, the floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) having a machine housing ( 3 ), a cleaning-liquid tank ( 7 ), a dirty-liquid tank ( 5 ), a chassis ( 9 ), a cleaning device ( 27 ), a cleaning liquid applicator ( 31 ) and a dirty-liquid intake ( 41 ), the machine housing ( 3 ) extending along a longitudinal axis ( 21 ) between a front end ( 23 ) and a rear end ( 25 ), the cleaning-liquid tank ( 7 ) being received in the machine housing ( 3 ), the dirty-liquid tank ( 5 ) being received in the machine housing ( 3 ), the chassis ( 9 ) having a plurality of wheels ( 11 ,  13 ), the wheels ( 11 ,  13 ) comprising at least one front wheel ( 13 ) and at least one rear wheel ( 11 ) that are spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal axis ( 21 ), the chassis ( 9 ) bearing the machine housing ( 3 ) and being configured to facilitate movement of the floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) over the floor surface ( 15 ) along a direction of travel ( 73 ), wherein the chassis ( 9 ) is steerable to vary the direction of travel ( 73 ), the cleaning device ( 27 ) having cleaning elements ( 29 ) that are configured to engage with the floor surface ( 15 ) when the floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) is moved over the floor surface ( 15 ), the cleaning liquid applicator ( 31 ) in fluid communication with the cleaning-liquid tank ( 7 ) and being configured to dispense cleaning liquid received from the cleaning liquid tank ( 7 ) into a region of the cleaning device ( 27 ), the dirty-liquid intake ( 41 ) extending perpendicularly in relation to the longitudinal axis ( 21 ) and parallel to the floor surface ( 15 ), the dirty-liquid intake ( 41 ) being in fluid communication with the dirty-liquid tank ( 5 ) and configured to intake a liquid on the floor surface ( 15 ) and discharge the liquid to the dirty-liquid tank ( 5 ), wherein the dirty-liquid intake ( 41 ), as seen along the longitudinal axis ( 21 ), is arranged on the machine housing ( 3 ) on that side of the rear wheel ( 11 ) that faces away from the front wheel ( 13 ), wherein the dirty-liquid intake ( 41 ) is mounted on the machine housing ( 3 ) so as to be displaceable between a retracted position and an extended position and wherein the dirty-liquid intake ( 41 ), as seen along the longitudinal axis ( 21 ), is closer to the at least one rear wheel ( 11 ) in the retracted position than in the extended position, the said method comprising:
 moving the floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) over the floor surface ( 15 ),   detecting a distance, perpendicularly in relation to the longitudinal axis ( 21 ), between the machine housing ( 3 ) and an object arranged to the side of the floor cleaning machine ( 1 ) as seen along the longitudinal axis, and,   if the distance detected by the sensor arrangement ( 35 ) exceeds a predefined threshold value, actuating a drive ( 59 ) to move the dirty-liquid intake ( 41 ) into the retracted position.